Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Demand For Care Spikes With New York’s Maternal Depression Law

Meanwhile, other mental health issues are posing challenges for law enforcement: In Illinois, an inmate who "cracked" is eating metal and leather -- and costing $1 million in medical treatment. Elsewhere, the shortage of opiate treatments is bringing calls for reform. A narrowed measure passed in Connecticut, aimed at helping police officers with PTSD, is generating criticism. And alternatives to jail for the mentally ill are explored in North Carolina.

The Wall Street Journal:
Law Spurs Interest In Helping New Moms Deal With Depression
Until this year, the Seleni Institute, a nonprofit center devoted to women’s mental health and wellness, held only small, private training sessions on postpartum depression. But after New York state’s maternal depression law went into effect in January, the agency trained 67 nurses, social workers and other providers on how to identify the condition and connect women with services at a public session in Brooklyn, in April. And the organization has had so much interest that another public training has been set, with more than a dozen others in the works. “We never expected the growth that’s been happening, and it’s kind of our scramble on the back end to meet demand,” said Rebecca Benghiat, Seleni’s executive director. (Machalinski, 5/25)

Chicago Tribune:
Inmate Who Is 'Eating The Jail' Costs Cook County $1 Million In Health Care
Lamont Cathey was a promising Chicago basketball prospect, a dominating 6-8 center who had the potential to play at a Division II college until he was arrested and charged in the theft of money from a pizzeria safe more than a year ago. Unable to post a $5,000 cash bond, the West Englewood 17-year-old languished in Cook County Jail as legal wrangling over his low-level burglary charge dragged on. Eventually, after months stuck in limbo when a plea deal fell through, something inside the teen cracked. He began to swallow anything he could get his hands on in his cell — screws, needles, a thumbtack, a 4-inch piece of metal, even strips of leather from restraints, according to jail officials. ... According to jail officials, at least $1 million has been spent so far on Cathey's medical care — more than any other inmate in recent history. (Schmadeke, 5/24)

USA Today:
Addiction Treatment Hard To Find, Even As Overdose Deaths Soar
With nearly 44,000 deaths a year, more Americans today die from drug overdoses than from car accidents or any other type of injury. Many of these deaths could be prevented if patients had better access to substance abuse therapy, experts say. Yet people battling addiction say that treatment often is unavailable or unaffordable. Only 11% of the 22.7 million Americans who needed drug or alcohol treatment in 2013 actually got it, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. While some of those who went without care did so by choice, at least 316,000 tried and failed to get treatment. (Szabo, 5/24)

The Connecticut Mirror:
Mental Health Experts Question Police PTSD Compromise
A controversial proposal to allow police officers to qualify for workers’ compensation for post-traumatic stress passed the state Senate last week after being narrowed with a key distinction: It would apply to police officers whose mental or emotional problems stem from responding to a death caused by a person, but not those rooted in handling a fatal car accident or any other part of the job. The distinction might be politically expedient, allowing the bill to move forward after years of unsuccessful efforts. But mental health professionals say it makes little sense and doesn’t reflect the reality of post-traumatic stress disorder, which is defined by how a person responds to trauma, rather than the type of traumatic event underlying it. (Levin Becker, 5/26)